Keep Pressing

Keep Pressing

My Journey to Lira, Uganda began in the bitter Indiana cold. It felt as though my face would melt and fall off. A plastic card got stuck in my lip and almost ripped it off. The bus I was to use to the airport was a tad late, and the restaurants and buildings were all closed. As I waited, I began to get numb, and realized that if I stood still, I would die of hypothermia (your body shuts down because of lack of heat). My best option was to press forward. So I kept walking, kept pressing, until I was finally able to board the bus, eventually getting to Uganda, and seeing God save souls.

Pressing David

The finest warriors in Israel along with their King, Saul, failed to press forward in the face of adversity. Daily taunts from the giant, Goliath, kept them at bay. The shepherd boy, David, chose to press forward instead. Because he made that choice, Goliath, the champion, started making mistakes. Goliath became angry that a small boy was sent to fight him. In fights, you try to stay composed, but Goliath forgot this. Then Goliath cursed David by his gods, another big mistake. He framed this fight as one between the God of the universe and his little Philistine god. Goliath then mistakenly observed that David came to fight him with sticks exposing his poor eyesight, no wonder he needed someone to lead him. When you choose to press forward, the Lord makes your enemy make mistakes. I can hear you say amen to that.

Keep Pressing

Goliath piled on the errors, he asked David to come to him so they could fight in hand to hand combat, revealing that he could only fight as an infantry (foot soldier). So David fought on his own terms, as an artillery (long range soldier). Despite the apathy his dad, Jesse, showed him earlier in life, David pressed forward and defeated Goliath. If you stop engaging with life, if you stop trying new things, because you have tasted defeat in the past – you will die of spiritual hypothermia. Try something new. Keep walking. Keep pressing.

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it – Luke 16:16